Long Asleep
by solka
Summary: [AU] Ginoza wakes up from a coma to realise that a lot has happened while he was asleep. "It weren't the eyes that Ginoza remembered. These eyes seemed like they didn't belong to her at all." How did Tsunemori deal with the loss of her best partner? What happened to Kougami anyway? [T for occassional cursing]
1. Chapter 1

**LONG ASLEEP**

 **Well, then, hello. I'm Solka and I'm really glad you're reading this piece.**

 **An introductory note: I'm not a native speaker, so pardon occasional mistakes, let me know and I'll make sure they're gone :)**

 **This is a bit AU, so before you start reading, LOOK HERE:**

 **1) Makishima isn't dead, Tsunemori locked him up for the rest of his life – he's completely irrelevant in this story, though.**

 **After capturing Mahiskima, Kougami is back with the MWPSB's Division 1 but gets kidnapped shortly after his return – the circumstances play an important role in this piece so I won't reveal them now.**

 **2) Events from the Season 2 of the anime? I have Mika as an Inspector and Hikanawa but that's all as far as I see it right now.**

 **So, I guess that's all for now, go on and enjoy!**

 **-s.**

 **Chapter 1**

Ginoza woke up. He tried to sit up in the bed but failed miserably. He moved his hand to rip off the breathing mask. He winced in pain as his muscles refused to cooperate and he fell his whole body trembling.

Where was he? The man looked around and only after some time he recognised the room. The clinic in their office.

How come he was alive? He was sure that he would die there in that abandoned storage. And where was...

"Gino!"

Ginoza's head snapped to his left which caused another wave of pain. He hissed and shut his eyes. He couldn't move his hands or his legs, but the hellish pain of his whole body told him that he wasn't paralysed. It felt as if he...

"Gino, can you hear me?" Shion's voice reached him again but before he could actually respond, the exhaustion took over his body again.

* * *

The second time he woke up, he felt better. He opened his eyes and was actually able to remove the breathing mask that someone put back on his face. The pain in his body was still there but a lot easier to cope with.

His movement brought Shino's attention and the woman jumped to her feet and began checking the beeping monitors.

Ginoza opened his mouth to ask about the rest but Shino ignored his attempts. Only after she stopped clicking on the controlling panel she turned to him and touched his skull.

"Can you hear me, Gino?"

"Ye-yes." His throat was dry.

"Do you know where you are? Nod if you do."

The man nodded his head lightly.

"Do you remember what happened? Nod again if yes."

"I fell. We were fighting... one of the kidnappers... that took Kougami. He pushed us."

Shion made some note. And moved back to examining him. He took a chance to go back to his accident. They were after men who took Kougami. They kept the enforcer for a whole month, thanks to Tsunemori's determination they were able to get a hang of his location and managed to track the group down.

"Where is... Kou..."

Shion's hand snatched from Gino's leg and the woman stared at the man. His eyes widened at the reaction, alarmed.

The steps. Kougami's eyes.

Agh, to hell with this headache.

"Gino. Get some sleep. I'll..."

Suddenly, Shion's communicator beeped and the woman answered instantly. Kunizuka's voice barked some words and Shion moved to the door.

"I'll be right back. Try going back to sleep.

Like hell he would. Gino tried to rise his hand and fortunately he managed to get a hold of the metal supported on the side of the bed. Not without some difficulty, he sat on the brink of the bed. His head stopped spinning which he took as good news. Slowly, he stood on his legs.

"Oh, no, you shouldn't get up, sir!" a voice reached him. A young man dressed in white doctor's gown ran into the room and helped him back to his bed. Ginoza shook his head and barked:

"I need to get to Division One's laboratory."

"I don't think it's wise in your condition, sir. Please let me..."

"You don't want to make me your enemy, boy," Ginoza looked at the young man sternly. "Take me to Karanomori Shion's laboratory. Right. Now."

The young doctor paled and with trembling hands reached for crutches. He helped Ginoza and led him out of the room. He had to find out what happened to Kougami. If he was alive then that old fool must've made it too.

"How long was I out?"

"Ex–excuse me?"

"How long was I unconscious?" A day, maybe two. That would explain the soreness of his muscles.

The young doctor opened the elevator's door and kept it until Ginoza crutched himself inside.

"Five... five months, sir."

Ginoza would have fallen if it wasn't for the young doctor's hands. Five. Months.

He was in a coma for five months.

Shion didn't notice him as he entered her laboratory. The room was dark as always, lighted up only by computer screens and completely quiet aside from the sound of keyboard clicking. Shion was presently looking at the biggest screen and talking with someone through the communicator. Kunizuka was the first to spot him in the doorway and her eyes widened but she didn't stop her work. A red head, enforcer Hikanawa Sho, barely nodded his head at him but also didn't refrain from hitting keys quite furiously. From the look of it, they were in the middle of a field action and Shion seemed quite nervous.

"Damn it, Shimotsuki, I still can't see you. Tell me, what you see."

" _The alley is dark, no one in the area according to the scanners. I'm still alone, where the hell is the police car._ "

Ginoza heard some muffled noise and a curse. The man raised his brow, the newest inspector improved on her language it would seem.

"Hikanawa, how long?"

"Three minutes."

"Kunizuka, how is the second group?"

"Still on their way. There was a road accident, they have to find a detour."

Finally, Shion noticed his presence and her eyes widened. She threw her cigarette to the floor and snapped at him:

"What the hell are you doing here?! I told you to..."

" _Shion, I see the target. I need you to give me details. Did you get the cameras on?_ "

"Hikanawa, give me the visual or..."

"It's on, Shion-san."

Ginoza watched the screen. It was almost completely dark but he could see a small figure in the left corner of the picture. Mika. She was wearing a night-vision and held her dominator ready. She was hiding behind a pile of empty boxes or something similar. Meters from her stood another person, a man in his forties, holding a gun and pinning some woman to the wall.

"Shimotsuki, you are 50 meters from the target. Tall man, muscled, holding a weapon and a hostage. You don't have clear shot. Do not come closer. He can shoot you. Wait for the enforcement."

" _Understood_."

Less than a minute later, the man was gone inside the building. Mika stood there waiting patiently until she heard a noise and her head snapped in the direction from which came the police van. Ginoza held his breath as he observed a tall figure of an inspector getting out of his car. Ginoza didn't recognise the man but figured that after five months it was normal that some other division would accept new inspectors. However, he frowned when he noticed how Mika addressed the man and the emblem on his jacket stating that he belonged to the same division as Mika. They both waited for the enforcers to appear by them.

If the new guy was from Division One, then what happened to Tsunemori?

The enforcers began to get out of the van. Ginoza came closer ignoring angry looks from Shion. She was still navigating Mika and shouting to Kunizuka to locate the target. Two figures stepped out of the vehicle, and stood by the two inspectors waiting for orders. Mika and the other guy briefed them shortly and all of them reached for their dominators. Only after Ginoza's eyes moved to the small drone with the weapons he noticed the third, smaller figure which emerged from the car after the first two.

Tsunemori. The small woman was already standing with her dominator. She didn't spare a glance in the direction of her partners and started walking away from the group. But it wasn't this lack of communication with other which struck Ginoza at that time. It was her eyes: hollow, devoid of any spark of life or interest. It weren't the eyes that Ginoza remembered. These eyes seemed like they didn't belong to her at all.

They belonged to an enforcer.

* * *

 **So, what do you think? Is it worth continuing? Review!**

 **-s.**


	2. Chapter 2

**First of all, thanks a lot for the nice comments and every single fav/follow hit from you. You've made my week!**

 **Here's another piece, hope you'll like it as well.**

 **-s.**

 **Chapter 2**

Shion cursed under her breath when she glanced at Ginoza's shocked face. The man sat on the couch in the laboratory with pale face and astonished expression.

Tsunemori was an enforcer. The Tsunemori whose Crime Coefficient was 26 average. The Tsunemori which stayed sane after witnessing the death of her best friend, then reliving the moment in a memory scoop. The Tsunemori which was stronger than their entire Division has ever been.

What on earth happened during those five months?

 _A stranger. A needle._

Ginoza stared into the space, seemingly lifeless. Where was Kougami? How could he let this happen to Tsunemori?

"Gino, are you all right?"

" _Karanomori, what is going on? We are still waiting for the map,_ " Shimotsuki's voice broke the silence.

Kunizuka typed furiously. Shion turned her attention back to the screen and she herself began hitting the keys. Ginoza couldn't stop staring at his ex-partner on the screen. The girl was about to enter the building alone. Ginoza's eyes went back to the pair of inspectors and he noticed how the new man frowned at her actions but was forced by Mika to look at her communicator, ignoring her old colleague. In meantime, Tsunemori disappeared from the screen.

Suddenly, the picture changed. The place was the same but the angle was different. Ginoza understood that it was now the small camera placed on Mika's uniform. The girl ran into the building with her dominator in arms.

They heard a scream.

Mika turned and ran upstairs as quickly as she could. There she stopped in her tracks as she noticed the man. He was holding a tight grip on a woman's hair. His hostage yelled in pain and humiliation. Mika aimed her dominator, the device transformed instantly into lethal eliminator mode.

" _Drop the weapon_!" she shouted.

The man turned to look at her and his eyes widened. This situation looked awfully similar to Tsunemori's first field case. Ginoza swallowed hard.

" _Fuck you. I will kill you. All of you_!" the criminal shouted back pointing his gun at the young inspector.

He fired. Mika screamed and tried to dodge the bullet but was too slow; the bullet hit her side. The girl cried and fell to the floor, Ginoza paled instantly at the sight of the camera picture falling along with the inspector's body. He inhaled deeply when he saw the man approaching the girl. The revolver was still in his hands, he aimed again...

And then he was nothing more than a paddle of blood. His hostage screamed terrified and escaped from the spot as soon as possible. Mika managed to stand and turned to the shooter. It was Tsunemori, she still held her dominator and this time targeted the young bloodied woman.

" _Tsunemori, wai_..."

The girl ignored her boss and fired again. Only after a split of a second did Ginoza realise that the mode of dominator didn't change back to paralyser.

" _What the hell!_ " Mika shouted at the woman. " _Why the fuck did you do that? She was_..."

Tsunemori's empty eyes moved to her. Ginoza again was struck by the coldness of her stare.

" _She was trying to shoot you. There is a gun where she sat. Look_."

Without another word, she grabbed Mika's arm and threw it around her own shoulders, and her other arm snuck to the inspector waist. She led her slowly outside. Mika remained silent.

Back in the laboratory, Ginoza was still sitting on the couch, too shocked to move.

Five months. Kougami still missing, Tsunemori an enforcer.

Five months.

"Shion," his voice cracked a little. "What the hell happened there?"

* * *

An hour later, Ginoza was still sitting in the darkness of Shion's laboratory. This time there were only him and Shion. Kunizuka went outside to help the returning division.

"Gino, do you remember why you were in this old factory building five months ago?"

"Yes. Kougami went missing, we tracked him down to this place. We've got there to retake him. Nothing more."

"He wasn't missing, Gino," Shion told him, carefully selecting her words. "We were to think that but it turned out that he has betrayed us."

"What? I thought it was me who hit his head, Karanomori."

The woman turned her back to him and began typing. After a moment she started a recording.

"You were sent to watch the back entrance, remember? Tsunemori went from the front. She was with Kunizuka and Hikanawa. This is taken from Kunizuka's memory scoop.

On the screen, Ginoza saw Tsunemori who was chasing a tall man. The unknown criminal was holding a small girl. The child was unconscious but harshly beaten up and injured. The man turned and jumped from the staircase, the inspector and her subordinates followed him quickly. Ginoza was looking at the screen, particularly at the face on the unconscious girl, despite its condition, still frightened. Tsunemori shot but missed the target. They ran along the dark corridors, the man always a step before them. Until he turned into bad corridor and ended up surrounded by the group of inspectors and enforcers.

The man stopped and turned to look at Tsunemori. Only now Ginoza realised that he was wearing a mask.

" _Na-a! Don't you try firing that hellish crap at me_ ," the man called in her direction and even Ginoza felt like his body stiffened upon hearing this voice. Tsunemori's eyes went wider as she recognised it too.

" _Who are you_?" she called, still pointing her dominator at the man. However, even from the recording Ginoza noticed the slightest trembling of her arm. " _Show your face_."

" _Oh, but you know who I am, Akane_ ," he produced a knife and stuck it to the small girl's neck. " _And look, such a pretty little lady I have here. So, to make sure she makes it safe home, drop the dominators, please, Akane, and kick it away_."

The look on Tsunemori's face was something Ginoza would never forget. Her big eyes were full of disbelief and fear. She noticed Mika putting her dominator down on the floor. She was followed by the rest of the group. All but Tsunemori.

" _Now, now, little Akane, your turn_."

" _No. Take off the mask._ "

The man sighed with faked tiredness and reached to his face. The mask revealed cold eyes surrounded by dark hair. So known but also so alien.

It was Kougami. Ginoza was paralysed. It was truly Kougami. Shion wasn't lying. But... how? Kougami would never do that, not to Tsunemori. Besides he was with him that day. They both fell. He was...

Stranger and the needle.

Tsunemori didn't drop her dominator. She was still aiming Kougami but it looked more like she couldn't move her hands rather than seriously willing to shoot him. She was trembling all over her body now, looking at the man terrified. Ginoza sat there and gasped as Kougami suddenly stabbed the little girl in her arm. The child woke up and screamed. Tsunemori still didn't do anything.

" _Such a pretty little lady. Shame I will never see our little princess, how she grows up without her daddy_."

What?

Tsunemori's hand lifelessly touched her stomach and Ginoza thought she would throw up.

" _What do you want_?" Kunizuka's voice cut the tensed air.

" _Huh? Oh, I just want my freedom. And I want you dead_."

The last sentence was directed at Tsunemori.

The silence was interrupted by the sound of dominator transforming into the lethal mode. Tsunemori's eyes were now full of tears but she stood still in front of her closest friend and, apparently a lover. She glanced at the machine as if trying to stop it but failed. She let out a muffled sob.

" _Kougami-san. Why are you doing this_?"

Instead of answering the man threw her another hateful look and smiled cruelly.

" _Oh, you don't have guts, Akane_." Why did he go on using her first name? " _You will never use that against me, you love me_."

The response was only more sobs. Ginoza noticed that he broke one of his crutch but ignored it.

" _I_ _could even do this, and you would still only love me_."

Kougami's moves were quick as always. Less than second later, the knife he was holding was buried deep within the neck of the little girl. Akane screamed after she realised what happened. Ginoza was mentally screaming at Mika to grab her dominator and do something while the last thing he would ever suspect happened: Tsunemori pulled the trigger.


	3. Chapter 3

**You are the best! Especially those who decided to scribble a comment and supported the idea from the very beginnig: Zagis, Nouille Verte and Daddys little crazy bitch**

 **The next instalment is finally here – enjoy!**

 **-s.**

 **Chapter 3**

Ginoza stared at the young woman in front of him. She didn't notice him yet but Ginoza wasn't sure if he wanted her to.

He thought back to the recording. She had been pregnant. That was something new for Ginoza. He, like everyone else, could see how she and Kougami were close but Ginoza had always believed that neither his ex-partner nor Akane would be foolish enough to start a romantic relationship. Because, based on Kougami's words, it was more than just sex. At least, for Tsunemori. Gino could only suspect how the whole situation must have affected her. Most probably she has lost the child after killing its father. He could only imagine the number on her CC at that moment.

 _She was... is broken, Gino._ He remembered Shion's words. _She shut everyone else, didn't even struggle when we detected her increased CC and locked her away... Don't look at me like that. She reached 350 at that time, it was better than killing her_.

From 26 to over 300, Ginoza thought, looking at the girl. She was smoking a cigarette at the roof the MWPSB building. The same place, he and Kougami used to come to talk or simply think. She was dressed in black slacks and white shirt, not different from what he himself was wearing. Her hair were still short, cut in that silly bob but the air around her was completely different. She stood there sternly, in silence, looking into the cold evening air aimlessly.

"Are you going to stand there all night, Ginoza-san?"

She didn't even look at him when she spoke. Ginoza almost missed her silly big eyes staring up at his tall figure. Tsk.

"I wasn't sure if you needed company."

"I don't."

When he finally came closer to her, she finally looked at him.

"I thought people who woke up after five months of coma usually stayed in bed for a couple of days, Ginoza-san."

"True. Shion fed me with a tone of drugs and vitamins, though, so I'm good. In fact, I would probably get back to work in a week. Not in the field but still."

"Yeah, Shion can work miracles with her patients."

She turned away from him again. Ginoza wasn't sure if it was his cue to leave or she simply preferred looking at the city landscape. She was completely different person to him, he didn't know how to behave anymore.

"Since you don't ask any questions, I assume they told you what happened?" she asked in grave voice. She finished her cigarette and threw it away. Then, she turned without another word and moved back to the building. Ginoza stayed in his spot but called after her:

"I think you did the right thing."

She snorted in response.

* * *

 _Oh, you don't have guts, Akane_.

Akane hit the punching bag harder this time. She tried to get rid of the unwelcome memory from her mind. She spun and kicked the heavy bag with her right foot. The bag bounced and swayed in her direction again.

Hit. Bounce. Dodge.

 _You will never use that against me, you love me._

Like hell she did. She reached under her shirt to take out a knife. The spun in place and threw the object at the punching bag. She hit the centre of an imagined board and felt her arms being circled by mechanical ones. She hissed and grabbed the back of the drone's neck, pushing him over her shoulder. She jumped on his chest and punched the robotic face. The machine stopped moving instantly, signalling the end of the fight.

 _You love me._

With the last cry on her lips, Akane hit the drone's chest, driving a small hole in it.

* * *

Ginoza had another nightmare. He was falling from that balcony again and again, never reaching the bottom. In his dream, there was a tall man with dark, cold eyes, standing above him with a needle in his hand and reaching for his exposed neck.

The picture turned and the stranger wasn't there anymore. Now it was Kougami who was laying beside him on the cold floor of the factory. His face was motionless but his chest was moving ever so slightly up and down.

Ginoza couldn't move but knew that the sleep wasn't over yet. As soon as the man realised it, the scenery changed once more and he was now standing behind a small trembling figure of Tsunemori who screamed and fired her dominator at his best friend.

* * *

"Bad night, Ginoza-san?"

Ginoza turned to look at Shimotsuki who approached his desk. She still looked the same as before the accident but now, as she was responsible for the entire Division 1, she seemed more mature. The man nodded in response to her question and let himself relax a bit. It was 8:30 in the morning and he was one of the first people to appear in the office. Figuring that the nightmares wouldn't let him fall asleep again, he decided to make it earlier in hope of working more on the present case.

Shimotsuki put another folder next to his hand and left him without word. She also changed, he thought back to her hostile attitude towards the Division's enforcers. She didn't become friendly towards them out of the sudden, of course, but the cooperation between them was definitely better than it used to be. Ginoza concluded that with the responsibility came a surge of tolerance.

The other inspector, it turned out, was surprisingly approachable. His name was Nobu and he was transferred from the third division nearly two month earlier. It was his first contact with the infamous Division One of the MWPSB but he never allowed the bad popularity get to him and his personal judgment. Ginoza, during the three weeks in which he was able to work beside them again, noticed that he was observant and had great deductive skills. His relationship with his subordinates was usually fruitful. However, Ginoza noted how often the man gazed at Tsunemori. It wasn't professional interest, he was certain of it. But it also wasn't nothing romantic, definitely. It looked more as if the new inspector didn't know what to expect from the small enforcer and even was a little scared of her.

Kunizuka entered the office along with Hikanawa and took their usual seats. Tsunemori had the morning off so it was only they and the two inspectors when the alarm went off. Ginoza felt a sudden pang of envy when he watched his colleagues stand up and exit the office. Passing him, Kunizuka threw him last look and he nodded his head to indicate he was fine. Ginoza sighed and brushed his hair from his face.

He remembered his nightmare. It wasn't the first time he experienced them since he woke up from the coma but this time there was something different and his sub-consciousness wouldn't let him be. That's why he turned on the database and typed the number of the fateful case. After obtaining the clearance, he browsed through the reports and pictures. The recording that Shion showed him was labelled as classified but it wasn't a problem; Ginoza didn't even want to see it ever again.

However, instead of clicking on the Tsunemori's name he found his own and opened the folder. He quickly read the report; it was Kunizuka who found him unconscious in the empty part of the building and quickly alarmed the rest of their group. He was diagnosed with severe internal injuries, a bunch of broken bones and a concussion. Nothing new here, Ginoza thought. He closed the file and skimmed through the photographs taken at the place. Reading about his condition was way better than seeing it with his own eyes.

Suddenly, one of the photos grabbed his attention. He was in the centre but few meters away from his body he noticed a small long object. He clicked several times to zoom in on the thing.

A syringe.

The man from his nightmare. The stranger with a needle.

"Argh!" Ginoza yelled as he felt the wave of pain striking through his head. He stood up to get some cold water but fell as soon as his feet touched the ground.

* * *

The last thing he remembered was falling. They fought, and their opponent forced them to move backwards. Then they both realised that the floor was no longer under their feet.

His back slammed on the hard floor. His head hit the concrete surface with the same force. Kougami's body was laying beside his own. Ginoza managed to move his hand do touch his arm and Kougami's eyes fluttered. Unable to move more, Ginoza felt sudden wave of nausea hit him and he knew that he was about to pass out.

The last thing he heard before he gave up, was the sound of steps. Then a pair of arms lifted Kougami. A needle.

"Kou..."

His eyes. Open.

"Gino! Gino, wake up!"

Ginoza's eyes fluttered as he woke up. Again. He was on the floor in the office. Seriously, he spent five months sleeping; the sudden fainting was highly unnecessary.

"He's alive," he said watching the screen.

Shion looked at him with surprise. She followed his gaze and looked at picture still visible on the computer. Then she realised what was on the picture and she connected the dots. Ginoza sat up.

"Gino, I know you went through a shocking experience, we've all been there months ago..."

"No. Kougami is alive. He was with me when I was pushed from that balcony. He fell with me but they took him away before you've found me there. The man Tsunemori shot is... was not Kougami Shinya."

The instant wave of memories flooded his brain and he winced uncomfortably but managed to collect himself. Shion looked like she wanted to say something, but Ginoza snapped at her:

"I know what I'm saying. I'm not cruel. I've found Kougami in the back, he told me they took him, managed to get his DNA and get into his memory. The man... this something, was a hologram equipped with Kou's personal information. The man wearing it was not Kougami."

The eliminator worked too quickly for them to notice the holographic picture before the man ended up as a bloodied mass.

"Are you completely sure, Gino?" Shion's voice was low as if she was afraid of saying the words herself. She looked around to make sure no one was listening on them. "Kougami is alive?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"What you are saying, Ginoza, is that you think Kougami Shinya is not dead, did I understood you correctly?"

The enforcer swallowed hard but withstood the cold look that he received from the Chief of the department.

"I don't think. I know he is not," he answered with determination.

The woman stood up and gestured for Shion to leave the room. The technician left them alone without a word. Ginoza followed his ex-boss's steps.

"I looked up the name of the company whose logo was on the syringe. Their center is situated outside the city. The number of scanners in that area is very limited. I believe that it is the place that Kougami was taken to after I lost my consciousness. He had been their hostage before the incident and I am sure that for whatever reason he had been taken previously, he is still held by them because of that. I don't know why exactly but I can only assume that it has something to do with the investigation inspector Tsunemori had been conducting..."

"Enforcer Tsunemori, Ginoza," Chief Kasei interrupted him with raised eyebrows. "She is no longer inspector, and so are you."

"But..."

"No buts, Ginoza. Your theory is full of holes. There is no proof that any of this is in fact true. Besides, the Bureau has already visited the place you are talking about and we managed to catch around ten latent criminals in the area. Kougami was not among them, Ginoza."

Ginoza stared at the woman, at loss of words. He computed the new information slowly. Even if his first guess was false, he was sure that his dreams weren't only his imagination.

"He could have escaped before you carried out the bust. I know that Kougami was with me when Tsunemori allegedly killed him. I've seen the video from Kunizuka's memory scoop; I've never seen Kougami behaving like that, especially not to Tsunemori. I can't believe that he could say those things to the woman..."

"Can you imagine the chaos this information would create in the Division 1, Ginoza?" Kasei interrupted him again, this time without any appearance of humour.

"I do, but I still..."

"You are just guessing. You have no proof to support your insane theory. Even if Kougami somehow survived and your theory was true, it's been almost half a year since. He has got plenty of time to return and he didn't. It means that either he is already dead or a fugitive which results in him being immediately executed anyway."

Ginoza's eyes widened upon hearing these words. He realised that it was true. But then there was Tsunemori who spent months convinced that he has killed her lover. She has lost her unborn baby because of that. Ginoza opened his mouth but Kasei was faster:

"If you are concerned about Tsunemori, stop," she declared sternly. "She's been doing better those last couple of weeks. Her breakdowns stopped and she seems increasingly efficient in her work. If you will tell her that Kougami may be alive she could not believe you and break down again. If she believed you, it is more than likely that she would end up like Kougami: obsessed about finding him, like the man itself was obsessed with Makishima. Do you really want to see another of your ex-partners to fall into unhealthy fixation, Ginoza?"

* * *

"What did she say, Gino?" Shion asked immediately after he entered her laboratory. The man slumped down on the couch in the middle and leaned back against its backrest to look at the ceiling.

"She didn't believe me, obviously. And forbade me to tell anything to Tsunemori not to cause another breakdown."

Shion frowned but didn't say nothing.

"She is right," Ginoza declared out of the sudden.

"Huh? What are you saying, Gino?" Shion was actually astonished after the man's outburst. "You don't think that Kougami is alive then?"

Ginoza snapped to look at her and shook his head.

"Hell, no. He is alive and I know it. But I cannot say anything to Tsunemori. It would just make her suffer. She may seem to be over it, with all her tough attitude but I can tell it's just a facade. I won't tell her and neither will you. Al least, not until I see the bastard in person and drag him back here."

The woman jumped to sit right next to him. She put her head on Ginoza's shoulder and sighed heavily.

"But why isn't he here already?"

* * *

"Tsunemori and Ginoza, you go to the west gate and activate the transmitter. Kunizuka, take the eastern part and guard that entrance. The rest is coming with me inside. We'll meet in the apartment in fifteen minutes. If you cannot make it, contact Karanomori. Understood?" Mika recited her orders and waited for the visual confirmation. Only then she activated her dominator and began to move towards the main entrance of the building.

Ginoza glanced at Tsunemori and followed her lead. It was his first field operation in several months, and, honestly, he felt almost relieved to learn that he was given the mundane task with Akane nonetheless. During those few weeks, he managed to discover how effective and, well, lethal the woman grew to be.

"Ginoza-san."

"Tsunemori," he answered somehow uncertainly. She almost never talked to him.

"If I tell you to run, you run."

Ginoza raised his eyebrow, completely taken aback by this command.

"You are still out of shape, your reflexes are dull and the reaction slower than it used to be. If somebody crosses our path, I need you leave him to me," the girl explained without looking at him.

"I can take care of myself, Tsunemori," Ginoza snapped back.

"You can't and you know it. We have to get back on time. I won't have you slow me down because you get hurt."

Ginoza's face turned red from anger. He grabbed her arm only to found his whole hand twisted in dangerous direction. He hissed in pain.

"Leave them to me," Tsunemori repeated and let his hand free only after he nodded his head. Mad at the girl, Ginoza glared at her from under his lashes.

"What was that?" she threw him a look over her shoulder, hearing him murmur.

Ginoza returned the glance.

"I said that you are pain in the ass, Tsunemori," he repeated louder.

The girl smirked.

"Wasn't I always?"

They moved along for another couple of minutes until they reached their destination. Ginoza opened the bag he was carrying and took out the transmitter. While he was preparing the device, Tsunemori looked around, keeping her dominator ready. Her eyes sharply moved from one corner to another, never losing concentration. Ginoza took out the controller but before he turned the transmitter on, Tsunemori called Nobu.

"Shepherd 2, we are ready."

"Hound 2, get back to the meeting point."

Tsunemori disconnected and nodded at Ginoza. The diode on the machine turned green. Immediately after that, their communicators stopped working, along with any mechanical device in the building and the electricity. They were surrounded by complete darkness. They looked at each other and began to walk where they had come from. Ginoza pulled out his dominator and kept it in front of him so that he could detect anybody sneaking up on them. They were completely alone, though, and Ginoza frowned when he realised that.

"Tsunemori, can I ask you about something?"

For a moment all he could hear were her steps and when he was sure she would ignore him, Tsunemori answered:

"Sure."

Ginoza knew it was the moment when he could ask her about the Kougami "incident" without unwelcome audience or surveillance. His only chance to talk about it without Chief Kasei knowing. He opened his mouth but stopped, suddenly nervous. Tsunemori waited patiently for him to begin. Or she simply didn't care anymore about what he was going to say.

"Do you think about..." he coughed uncomfortably. "Do you..."

What if she breaks down again?

"Do they often let you unguarded during field work?"

Ok, he was officially a coward.

Even if the question surprised her, or maybe she didn't pay attention to his hesitance at all, Tsunemori's answer was uttered in her usual dull tone:

"Usually."

"Aren't they afraid that you will run away?"

"I don't think so. Where would I run?"

"Anywhere. Many enforcers dream about such an occasion and you get the opportunity on a daily basis."

"You can go if you want. I won't stop you."

The answer made him stop in his tracks. He sighed and tried to find her eyes beyond the darkness of the corridor.

"Maybe next time."

"What took you so long?" Shimotsuki's grumbling voice reached them. "And you can turn the electricity on again," she sighed. "The culprit took off before we reached the place."

Tsunemori ignored her and followed the rest of the team who were already in the apartment. Ginoza however, deactivated the transmitter in one click. The light returned suddenly.

"What do we have here?" Ginoza asked looking at the ruined kitchen. Glancing back to the bedroom, he noticed blood stain on the carpet. However, there was no body. "What happened to..."

"Look up."

Ginoza followed his inspector's advice and glanced upwards. He gasped. A body of a young boy was hanging on a rope pinned to the ceiling. His eyes were open as if mocking their presence. Drops of blood were falling from his cut throat.

Ginoza came closer to the victim's body to take a closer look.

"Whoever did it, they were strong," he judged. "The splash of the blood indicates that the boy was still alive when suspended on those ropes. Can we get him down to..."

The body fell from the ceiling. Ginoza gasped and jumped back. The corpse hit the floor with a loud thud. Mika screamed and Kunizuka, who just entered the room, jumped to her side. Inspector Nobu turned angry to the only remaining person in the room.

Tsunemori calmly hid the knife she used to cut the ropes.

"Are you fucking insane, Tsunemori?!"

She just shrugged.

"For god's sake, take her away from here," Nobu ordered sharply.

Ginoza wasn't surprised at his outburst; first, he also wanted the girl out of the room as soon as possible and secondly, Nobu appeared to dislike the young enforcer very much. He and Kunizuka exchanged looks and they both followed Tsunemori outside. They found her sitting on the floor of the corridor, smoking.

"That was too much, Tsunemori," Ginoza scolded her angrily. Kunizuka didn't say anything but looked at her disapprovingly.

"You wanted the body down."

"Stop it!"

This time Tsunemori finally looked at him directly. It happened rarely and Ginoza instantly felt uncertain under the sharpness and coldness of her gaze. She put out the cigarette and stood up. Despite her small figure, she managed to irk him with her hollow look.

"Stop what, Ginoza-san."

He noticed how she didn't formulate it like a question. It irritated him even more.

"Stop with this farce at once," he hissed through his teeth. "Stop behaving like a fucking robot. It isn't funny anymore."

She raised one eyebrow but otherwise waited for him to end. Still, like a puppet.

"Face it. Even though they are coward enough to approach the issue," he pointed to the people back inside the flat, "I'm not going to be nice just not to hurt your so-called feelings. Even if you killed him," Tsunemori's eyes twitched at the words. Ginoza took it for a good sign. "It doesn't give you right to be this cold-hearted bitch you've been for this couple of months."

Kunizuka threw him a stern look and Ginoza realised that Shimotsuki and Nobu emerged from the apartment to check up on them. He ignored them and kept on his tirade.

"So you better get rid of that attitude or I will personally make sure you are locked up again. Even if I were to be put in the cell with you." He took a breath but he received only another unreflective stare. "I get it, you are hurting. But try to remember next time, that it isn't an excuse. No one here wants to look at you anymore, most of us is fed up with you. It isn't the person that I once knew. It is not the person who _claimed_ to love Kougami."

Finally. A reaction. Ginoza looked gloatingly as Tsunemori's eyes widened in anger. She balled her fists and looked ready to hit him as he stood over her petite body. Her arms trembled in poorly controlled anger. She took a step towards him and Ginoza prepared himself to return the punch. However, what he received wasn't her fist but one forceful sentence:

"Says the person who his entire life treated his own father like he was a trash."

* * *

 **First, sorry for the delay - I'm trying to concentrate on writing my master's thesis.**

 **What do you think? Is it going in the right direction? Please, do tell - it'd be much appreciated! :)**

 **-s.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Finally, Akane's POV! I imagine some of you were waiting for this moment? Anyway, I wanted to show that Akane may seem like a word-class b*** right now but inside she's hurting so freaking much. I hope I conveyed this message in a clear way.**

 **Sorry for the late update! You know, the university, exam session, etc.**

 **BAD NEWS: next chapter won't appear very soon either, hope you'll forgive me somehow!**

 **-s.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

She ended up suspended for a week. Akane decided to spend this extra free time in her quarters. On their way back, she ignored everyone's stares and Kunizuka's attempts at talking. Ginoza avoided her like snakes after she had reminded him of his ungrateful behaviour towards his own father.

Maybe she shouldn't have said that.

The girl undressed and threw her clothes on the floor of her small bedroom. Naked, she entered the shower where the hot water hit her skin, almost to the point to burning it. When she was ready, she switched the water to cold.

She thought back to Ginoza's angry face, his words and accusation. Ginoza's sober, almost hateful stare. _His_ name escaping his lips.

Out of the sudden, Akane sobbed.

She fell to the ground grasping for air. It's been months since she's last heard somebody mentioning him in her presence. It's been too long since she has visited his grave.

Of course, he had a grave.

She had been there once, a few days after she was released from the hospital following the miscarriage. It was then and there that she had decided to give up on her struggles to stay sane. Later that day she was officially stripped of her inspector status and relocated to the correction and rehabilitation center with a CC reaching 300 points.

It was Chief Kasei's idea to restore her as an enforcer. Initially, she rejected the offer but changed her mind later on after a meeting with professor Saiga. Around that time, she began alienating her co-workers with her cold demeanour and silent treatment. It wasn't her fault, not entirely, at least. Her emotions were dulled because of the mental breakdown and severe depression. The high CC contributed to her emotional breakage as well. After a few weeks, she forgot how it felt to care. In the state of constant numbness it was hard to concentrate on anything. Especially, Shinya's face.

She did her job well. The rest of her division let her be most of the time. Sometimes Shion tried to invite her to a shared lunch and Akane silently complied. She suspected that the scientist made Kunizuka keep an eye on her during work because the female enforcer, though in her own reserved manner, began hanging around as well. As long as they didn't try to cure her, Akane didn't mind.

Shimotsuki quickly took over the command of the Division One and embraced the idea of her ex-boss working under her as an enforcer. Mostly because of their previous bumpy relationship, Mika refrained from creating any sort of contact with her, apart from barking out commands. The new guy, Nobu, was prejudiced to her from the very beginning. He had heard about her but they have never met before. He didn't know what happened, nothing apart from the general overview of her circumstances: she was forced to kill her former colleague, her CC couldn't withstand the pressure, she was demoted. He couldn't understand why others gave her so much freedom in her doings and disapproved, but – as he was met with the wall of silent consent, which made him detest her at the very least – he gave up his attempts at tempering her character.

Her life was fairly easy, to be honest. Occasional drink with Kunizuka, more frequent field jobs, mundane task of writing reports which filled up her days.

And then, after five months, she heard about Ginoza's miraculous awakening. Something changed at that moment. At the beginning he was reluctant, apparently deciding to leave her alone like the rest of their co-workers. He spent a lot of time with Shion and on rehabilitation. She didn't see much of him until he came back to work. He was usually stuck behind the desk due to his uncertain condition. Eventually, though, he was allowed to join them outside. She didn't know that to think after Mika ordered them to go together. Initially she was peaceful, then he began to talk.

She knew that he was going to ask her about him when the light went down. Fortunately he chose not to in the end. She smirked at his reaction when she offered him a clear escape.

Was she insensitive? She heard these words directed under her address from Nobu and, occasionally, from Shimotsuki. But no one ever called her that directly. Perhaps that was why she felt so agitated when Ginoza attacked her verbally. With other people as an audience, nonetheless. She wanted to scream, hit him, beat him to the ground but no, she chose something that would hurt him more than any physical injury. She brought up Masaoka-san.

Maybe she deserved that slap from Kunizuka.

She definitely did.

But the point of this whole situation was something that went beyond her anger. It was the fact that, since Ginoza appeared in the division, she had more and more doubts. As if his judging gaze caused her long hidden emotions to show up like an unwanted and annoying song lyric that wouldn't disappear until she acted on them.

It felt... dangerous.

But, oh, so alleviating.

She couldn't remember the last time she cried. And here she was, sobbing like a small girl, wishing for the past to change. If only she could do something, anything to get Kougami back. And her precious child. He would be amazing father. She was sure of it.

Akane turned the water off. Not bothering with the towel, she entered her bedroom only to find there Nobu.

That was surprising.

The man's eyes grew wide and he turned immediately upon seeing her naked body. Unfazed, she made her way to the wardrobe and picked a long T-shirt that reached her knees. Still red on his face, the new inspector cleared his throat.

"I-I came to give you the official statement concerning your suspension. And Kunizuka-san asked to give you this," he passed her an envelope. "I... I'll be going then."

And he was gone. Akane frowned slightly and reached for the documents passed from Kunizuka. Inside Akane found reports concerning the current case with photos attached and a handwritten note from Kunizuka herself.

 _We're stuck trying to find the connection. Have a look at both files. Don't tell anyone._

Akane opened the file. The first one contained biographical information about the victim. 18-years-old male. Name: Tsumate Matsu, son of Tsumate Kira one of the leading political activists in Japan. He was an excellent student with A grade average, about to graduate from a private academy in Tokyo next year and pursuit the career in politics like his father. The circumstances of him being in the old apartment are still unknown but it was most possible that the victim was brought there by force. By whom, that was the only question. No enemies, no suspicious behaviour. The only direction worth considering was the father's political struggles and potential competition.

Akane finished reading the first page and took the second one. The description of a crime scene was followed by a number of documents: lease, bills and even birth certificate with the same name on it: Wanatabe Shu. According to the official database, Wanatabe was a social worker, single but generally friendly. His Psycho-Pass never jumped higher than 60. No political connections of any sort. Current status was unknown. Akane could only assume that he was either the culprit or just another victim; if the latter, he most probably long dead.

The scanners at the crime scene didn't detect any suspicious moves.

The girl read each of the files again but nothing new emerged. It was late, she decided to sleep on the case and try to figure it out tomorrow. She pushed the papers off her bed so that they scattered on the floor beside it. She shrugged, she never was a clean person.

In the afternoon next day, Akane was sitting on the floor, surrounded by the files and photographs, trying to figure out the possible connection between a rich young boy and down-to-earth social worker from poorer quarter of the city. Drugs? Debts? Simple coincidence?

She flung her head up when she heard someone knocking at the door. She frowned but stood up and answered the call. Hikanawa was standing in the doorway with a tray in his hands. She instantly smelled food.

"Onee-chan, I brought you food. You must be hungry."

Akane took the tray from him and without word she turned and moved back to the floor she was sitting on. Hikanawa hesitated but followed her.

"Are you ok, onee-chan?" the man asked but quickly turned red. She always wondered why he kept calling her that.

"I am," she took first sip of the ramen soup. Good, she tended to completely forget about food when she was working. "Did you find anything new?" she asked gesturing to the pile of papers around her.

The man shook his head. She noticed how he tried to look around with interest and she realised that it was the first time he's been there. Hikanawa took a step backwards when he realised that Akane was observing him with raised eyebrow. He immediately bowed and bid her goodbye.

He girl resumed eating. Her back was comfortably leaning into a wall as she took another sip. The food was good but she always liked it more spicy. The girl put the bowl aside and stood up to grab a pack of pepper. She kept her species in a cupboard over a small sink. When she pulled the handle, a small plastic object fell from the cupboard onto the floor. White pills spilled all over the place. Akane cursed and began picking the medicine up. She received the pills months earlier from her psychotherapists; they were supposed to decrease her Crime Coefficient number but she never really took any of them. Even though they chemically caused the Crime Coefficient to drop, it had a only momentary effect. Sometimes people tried to use it to deceive the system before routine scan but very rarely; the pills were tremendously difficult to obtain. Sometimes, however, they were available on black market and some lucky guy was able to fool the Sybil system for some time.

Akane's hand froze over another pill. Of course!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

A week later, Ginoza and the rest of their team headed towards another crime scene. This time the body was found in the victim's apartment. Ginoza raised his eyebrow when he noticed the exact location of the house. It was a huge tall apartment building in the very centre of the city. Next to him, Kunizuka looked around with similar expression. Hikanawa's arms slumped even more. Akane, whose suspension ended that day, wore her usual bored expression. Ginoza didn't talk to her and she also chose to ignore his presence apparently.

The area was swarmed with reporters and onlookers. Hardly ever did such a situation occurred in such a place. Whoever was the culprit, they knew how to attract public attention.

"Messy," Nobu remarked when they entered the place.

He was right; even though the apartment was decorated with rich-looking furniture, it was obvious that someone must have gone through wardrobes and drawers in search of something. Clothes, personal belongings and furniture was scattered all over the floor and among them they saw the body of a young man. Very young, Ginoza noticed, in fact he couldn't have been older than seventeen. The enforcer kneeled by the corpse and began a quick examination. The cause of death was obvious: two sharp cuts on his wrists and the inner part of his tights. Messy, he recalled the inspector's words.

Ginoza was pulled out of his thoughts by a maddening shriek. A woman in her forties was standing in the doorway with an insanity painted all over her face. She was quickly pulled out of the room by Kunizuka. Ginoza couldn't help but to glance cautiously at Tsunemori. To his surprise, the girl was standing impassively by the wall, silently observing the scene before her eyes. When she felt his eyes on her, Tsunemori responded with raised brows. It was rare for them to meet the victims' families and witness their reactions. Terrified face of Tsunemori flashed before Ginoza's eyes.

"Ginoza-san, can you help Kunizuka with the mother?" Nobu asked the older man.

Ginoza nodded and moved to the adjoining room where Kunizuka was sternly sitting next to the crying woman and looking like she would rather deal with the dead body than this. Ginoza couldn't blame her.

"Okada-san?" he quickly remembered her name. "My name is Ginoza, I'm from the Public Safety Bureau. Can I ask you a couple of questions?"

The woman didn't answer only grabbed his coat and shrugged in his arms, her body shaking because of her sobs. Ginoza stiffened and delicately pushed the woman away.

"Okada-san, please, I know it's hard but I need you to tell me something about your son that could be useful in the investigation."

The woman finally put herself together and apologised quickly. She glanced in the direction of her son's body and quickly closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her gaze was full of determination.

"You have to find him," she said and initially Ginoza frowned, not understanding. "You must find the man who did that, and lock him away for the rest of his life."

"Can you tell me more about your son's everyday life? His school friends? Any enemies? Anything that will help us."

The woman began talking. Ginoza took down the names and addresses quickly. While he was still interviewing the woman, he noticed Tsunemori standing in the doorway.

"... he was always so calm. It was almost impossible to stress him. He could never be involved in any illegal situations."

"And what about your husband? He is the Ministry of Welfare's worker, isn't he? Does he know about the accident?"

"Yes. He is on his way. He had to pick up some things from his office."

"Onee-chan, can you come here?" Hikanawa called Tsunemori. The girl glanced back and again at the crying woman. Her eyes lighted up at some thought. Ginoza thanked quickly and asked Kunizuka to take the woman to the medics. He followed Tsunemori back to the room. He saw the girl leaning over the boy's body and going through his pockets.

He grabbed her arm and yanked her backwards.

"What are you going?" he hissed.

"I'm looking for the pills. It's possible that he was using them as well."

Ginoza frowned. According to Tsunemori, the previous victim was taking some Crime Coefficient killers which lowered the number of people's Psycho-Passes. He must've taken those in the apartment of the missing social worker, who, due to the character of his job, had access to the drug.

"Since both victims are similar in age, come from similar social environment, I think they could both be taking them. If I'm right, the cases are linked."

"How come..."

"When was the last time that you've heard about a murder in the highest social class of the city? And here we have two in less than week."

Ginoza couldn't argue with that. They were completely helpless to be honest. The father of the last victim was an influential politician. The case, therefore, was their number one priority. They were pressured both by the Chief, the wealthy family and the public. Another similar case only worsened their already hard situation. Any link could shed some light on the mystery.

Since the personal inspection didn't reveal anything, Tsunemori disappeared in the boy's room. Five minutes later, she re-emerged from the room, holding a plastic bag with several white pills inside.

"What does it prove?" Nobu asked and Ginoza realised that he had completely forgotten about the two inspectors. The way Tsunemori worked reminded him of the way they both cooperated with Kougami.

"It proves that this guy here and the other one were on a good way to become latent criminals. Apart from that, we still have nothing," Ginoza answered.

"Latent criminals from upper-classes. That's something new."

Tsunemori's head snapped upwards at these words. She quickly typed on the small holo keyboard until she found the file she was looking for. She read out loud:

"Tsumate Kira, known politician, active supporter of the new state, involved in the construction of the Sybil System. Before the social revolution, educated as biophysicist."

Ginoza glanced around the room, all people in the room faced Tsunemori, who opened another file:

"Okada Rin, computer analyst. Member of the Ministry of Welfare higher council. One of the designers of the Sybil System."

The people in the room fell silent.

"So, someone is killing off people connected to the creators of the Sybil System? Another anarchist?" Kunizuka asked referring to Makishima and Kamui.

Tsunemori shrugged but her thoughts were apparently somewhere else. She frowned and looked out of the window.

"That or the link does not exist and we still have nothing apart from raging politician over our heads," Shimotsuki murmured frustrated, bringing both Ginoza and Tsunemori back to the room.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Ginoza was back in his quarters, skimming through the files from Shion. The lab technician and he were working together on finding Kougami's current place on their own, since the Chief refused to acknowledge his suspicions. It's been weeks and they still had nothing. Their first idea was to check the old factory again but the closer inspection revealed nothing apart from the mysterious syringe. The logo which led them to the old company was also a misfire. Like Chief Kasei told him that day, the crime organisation connected to that place, has been gone since the police inspection months ago.

Now they were trying to find the man who took Kougami after their fall. Ginoza was almost certain that he would recognize the man if he saw his face, so Shion gave him the report from the day of the arrest. So far, Ginoza looked at about the half of the names and didn't recognize anyone. Maybe his memory wasn't as perfect as he assumes. They even tried to do a memory scoop but the operation failed. The overall aftershock confusion of Ginoza made it impossible to restore clear picture of the man's face. That's why they went back to conventional methods.

His communicator beeped.

"Gino-chan, come to my lab. I may have something," Shion's voice felt almost excited.

"What happened?" Ginoza asked as soon as he ran into the lab.

Shion and Kunizuka were typing fiercely. The older woman gestured to him to come closer and she pointed to the picture of the screen. There was a silhouette of a tall man. His face was obscured but it wasn't most important in the picture. The man was standing by the wall, and subtly pointing to the couple of words written of the wall beside him.

 _What do you want?_

"It's Kougami?" Ginoza asked shocked.

"The bone structure and height are matching in 87 per cent. The face is obscured by the hood and the message doesn't necessarily must be directed at us but it's the best that we have right now."

"Where did you get this photo anyway?"

Kunizuka moved to come closer.

"I've been trying to find some tracks of him in the net."

"Like those Commu-Fields that Tsunemori was into?"

"No, the old type of the Internet. Traditional web sites, internet foras and so on. I've gotten the idea from Saiga-san. I've talked to him a few weeks ago."

"How did you manage to do that? I thought he was still locked up in the rehabilitation centre."

"I asked Shimotsuki to take me there."

Ginoza raised his eyebrows.

"It turns out that our little inspector has a little crush on Yayoi," Shion chipped in with a grin on her face. Ginoza chocked.

Kunizuka's face remained motionless.

"Coming back, I left a couple of messages here and there and we got an answer today. Coordinates. He tracked them and but the place was completely empty. It's located outside the city nearby an old village. Also empty for that matter. But the security cameras were working somehow. We looked over the recording and found this."

"We don't know if it's really him. It could be just some funny guy. But I'm not so sure about that. The messages we've left weren't straightforward, of course, and the man is too similar to Kougami to be an accident. I think we've got him."

"So, he's really alive. And... free," Ginoza added angrily. "He's been there all the time and didn't even try to contact any of you. He let Tsunemori... ."

Shion tsked at him impatiently.

"He doesn't know anything about what happened, Gino-chan. You also didn't know. And don't forget that after all these months he'd be officially recognised as a fugitive."

Ginoza suddenly remembered Kasei's words. They were both right. But Tsunemori was going down more and more with every day. He couldn't stand looking at his ex-partner wasting her life as an enforcer when the cause of her situation was untrue in the first place. But, then, was it really possible for Tsunemori to return to normalcy after all?


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **It's been a while, I know.**

 **-s.**

* * *

"You wanted to see me?" Tsunemori asked after she entered the gym.

"Yes, I have something for you," Ginoza answered and touched a gigantic punching bag hooked on a rail under the ceiling.

"For me?" Tsunemori chuckled humourlessly. "What do I owe the pleasure, Ginoza-san?"

"I want to talk to you about something and I've heard that you have a tendency to hit people when they bring up this topic. I'd rather you hit the actual punching bag instead of using me as one."

Tsunemori contemplated Ginoza's words in silence but finally came closer. In her eyes he saw that she understood his agenda but decided to follow it nonetheless. She took off her shirt and reached to grab bandages to wind them around her fists. Ginoza observed how the petite woman circled the punching bag, waiting patiently for him to start. At first, he was surprised at how easy he managed to talk her into this but then he realised that she raised her eyebrow in amusement at his "preparations".

Tsunemori was ready to start punching when Ginoza took out a portable Psycho-Pass scanner and checked her CC number. He raised an eyebrow to see 270 number displayed on the holo-screen.

"What the hell are you doing?" he heard Tsunemori's irritated voice.

"Karanomori-san asked me to conduct a small experiment," he lied calmly. He moved to the main door to lock the place.

"What?"

275.

Impressive, really.

"Open the door, Ginoza-san," Tsunemori ordered him in a low voice. She didn't seem amused at all anymore.

"No. It'll take just a couple of minutes if you cooperate, Tsunemori-san. Karanomori-san wants to study the reactions of Psycho-Pass to changing environmental context."

275.

The girl sighed but gave up. She proceeded to punch the bag aggressively. Ginoza had a hunch that the bad wore his face at the moment.

 _How are you going to do it so that she doesn't suspect anything, Gino-chan? Shion had asked._

 _Simply, I'll make sure she believes that I'm lying._

He stood behind her and fired his first question.

"What if I told you that Kougami is alive?"

Tsunemori's fist stopped abruptly centimetres from the bag. She froze but didn't look in his direction.

"I'd say that you are completely fucked up. He's dead," she answered finally in a mechanical voice.

286.

"Are you sure?"

"Get out," she growled now, without looking at him still.

"What if he's really alive and the person that you killed was simply an imposer?"

She was silent still but began breathing quickly. Ginoza started thinking that if he wasn't right, she might actually attempt to attack him.

"I've seen the memory scoop image..."

"Stop it."

"... He wasn't behaving like Kougami at all, right? He's never been cruel. He'd never betray you to leave with some petty criminals."

"I said shop it..."

"What if Kougami is still alive?"

"Shut up!"

"I saw him that night," Ginoza raised his voice.

"NO!"

Ginoza waited for her to attack him but the punch never came. Completely paralysed, she only stood in one place. Suddenly, her lips began to tremble unconsciously. Her eyes stared in the space, wide. She took a few steps from the punching bag. She finally dared to look at him, disbelievingly.

He took it as his turn. He directed the PP scanner and waited for the results.

243.

"You are lying," came her silent voice. "He's... d–"

239.

It was possible, Ginoza thought with disbelief. He was astonished looking at the monitor. Her CC was dropping slowly. He wouldn't believe him but her mind did. She was...

218.

"He is," Ginoza told her, snapping back to reality, "Dead, I mean. The experiment was successful. Thank you."

The satisfaction that he experienced got mixed up with the mad grief at the memory of the slightest tinge of hope in her eyes.

"I hate you."

Oh, how her words reflected his own thoughts at the moment.

* * *

"How are you doing?" Ginoza asked Karanomori when he returned from the gym. His hand was trembling ever so slightly with silent excitement.

While he was busy trying out his strategy on Tsunemori, Kunizuka and Karanomori were trying to find Kougami's whereabouts.

"We're going through the cameras in the neighbourhood but still have nothing," Shion answered glancing back at him. "How is Akane-chan?"

Ginoza made a face and thought back to Tsunemori's wide eyes. He pushed the uncomfortable memory aside.

"Her Psycho-Pass dropped," he announced much to Karanomori's surprise. "A lot."

"Really?" Kunizuka asked.

"Yes."

"I suspected as much myself. She has always been good at it," added Shion.

Ginoza didn't respond this time. He really didn't want to talk about the situation in the gym. Shion, seeing it, let it go.

"Can you get me the specific place before the end of the week?" Ginoza asked, focusing back on the screens in front of him. He needed to find Kougami and bring him back as soon as possible.

"I'll try but..."

"Do whatever you can. I need to bring him here."

* * *

Another crime scene. Another young heir to a great fortune. Another Sybil connection. But this time, there was a clear message:

 _We want the Sybil System down._

Ginoza read the letters on the wall, written with the blood of the victim. Mika was seriously sick and Nobu was trying not to look green himself. Kunizuka just petted the female inspector's back with clueless expression. Hikanawa was sitting in the corner with a tablet in his hands. They found the device placed next to the dead girl's body.

"I... I think I have something, Onee-chan," Hikanawa spoke suddenly. All eyes focused on the young enforcer. Shimotsuki ran up to him and took the device from his hands.

" _The Sybil System, has no right to rule our lives."_ A male voice spoke _. "We are free. An artificial machine is the last thing that should decide about our future. We will take down everyone that is close to them, one by one. We will not let a robot control us. Only people who experienced a true meaning of life can decide how we should live ours – Sybil system is the farthest from the human form as it is possible. That is why we will make the creators of that sick system miserable. We will turn their lived into hell. You have a week to turn the machine down. There are more to take care of._ "

"So, anarchy it is," Ginoza broke the silence. "'Sybil system is the farthest from the human form as possible' wasn't it ?" he repeated.

Tsunemori snickered before leaving the room.

"What the hell is her problem now?" Nobu asked nobody.

Kunizuka and Ginoza exchanged looks and shrugged.

* * *

"Long time no see, Tsunemori Akane."

"You wanted to see me," Akane ignored the woman behind the desk's smile.

Chief Kasei eyed the former inspector with interest mixed with amusement. It was the second time that Akane was called into the office and the third that she was contacted by the Sybil System since she became an enforcer. For the first time, the meeting was concerned with taking up the enforcer position. Probably to keep an eye on her without trying to kill her. Apparently, the Sybil System had decided that keeping her close was safer for them than locking her up in the facility and killing her was too unprofitable: she did a great job as an inspector and would probably be a proficient enforcer.

Usually the meetings took place in the Chief's office in the Ministry's building but once the woman approached her in her private rooms. It was right after she was appointed the enforcer and the Sybil System again wanted her to convince Makishima to join them as the Sybil's component. They had tried to do it before, shortly before Kougami's death but then she declined. She couldn't imagine her talking to that man ever again. She would rather see him rotting in prison than keep him alive to be a part of the Sybil System to rule over her life. No more.

But the second time they asked, she agreed.

"You seem silent, Tsunemori Akane," Chief Kasei's voice brought her back to reality.

"It's been a long day," she answered calmly.

"What has happened?" the woman asked with feigned interest.

Akane gritted her teeth silently. She really preferred being somewhere else... anywhere else but not in this office.

"Ginoza. He's become annoying," Akane answered, partially lying.

"Hopefully nothing you cannot handle, enforcer Tsunemori?"

"I can deal with him. Is there particular reason for you to call me here?" Akane asked cutting the small talk definitely.

The woman smiled and nodded her head.

"I've seen the reports concerning the latest case."

"You don't need to be concerned, we'll have everything handled in no time," Akane assured the woman.

"And still you don't. Some of us start to undermine your competence."

" _My_ competence?" Akane smirked, not amused at all. "There is a group of people working on the case, you know. Besides, the Sybil System is perfect, you have nothing to worry about," she smirked sardonically.

"You are an interesting person, Tsunemori Akane. You have been demoted, devoid of every precious thing in your life and still, under this ironical facade, you believe that Sybil is worth risking your life for."

Akane only turned her back to the woman behind the desk. Before she exited the office, she asked:

"Are you sure?"


End file.
